Dwight

The one thing for sure you want to do with pop rivets also, . . . drill the proper sized hole. You want a hole that the rivet will go in, . . . but nothing extra. And there are short, small diameter pop rivets that will do your job nicely. Like CaptQuirk said though, . . . the cheap guns really are that, . . . cheap, and don't last long. Consider investing in a good one, . . . if you anticipate surviving another 20 or so years, . . . you will find many, many times where you said, . . . "Man am I glad I have this tool". I cannot tell you how many rivets I've gone through, . . . but I now own two rivet guns, . . . the old one I bought back in the 70's is all but worn out. May God bless, Dwight

Just make sure you post it so we can see the fruit of your labors.........lol May God bless, Dwight

Very good looking, . . . I had it in the back of my mind that I'm the only one getting those kind of orders. Mine order was a Buckmark with a scope, . . . basically the same as you did, . . . altogether the welts and the holster were 3/4 of an inch thick. Had to make the stitching holes with my Boss, . . . then hand stitch the thing. BTW, . . . I DO like the color, . . . May God bless, Dwight

The tool you want to use is a pop rivet gun. It will go thru the leather, . . . then thru one side of the cartridge, . . . when you pull the handle on the pop rivet, . . . it will put the two together and it WILL be a pain to separate them later. You can also use 2 rivets, . . . one at the top and one at the bottom so that the bullets don't cock on you. Should be an easy project. Lowes, Home Depot, or Menards carry them, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Ammo is getting too expensive for warning shots, . . . Our "big" noise problem is these nutcase kids who have a $300 vehicle, . . . but have 5 grand in the sound system, . . . just so they can crank up the base and shake the little birds out of their nests as they drive by. And don't think I haven't toyed with the idea of "target" shooting up next to the road when one goes by. About 100 grains of triple 7 in my old muzzle stuffer can make all the newly buried sit up and take notice, . . . But, . . . back to music, . . . guess I'm just from the generation that started out having to have it as a part of their lives, . . . so I enjoy it. May God bless, Dwight

Thank you Mr. Bruce (don't squat with your spurs on) Gibson, . . . CD blarin' CCR's greatest hits, . . . works for everything except dyeing. Gotta have silence for dye jobs, . . . or everything gets the same color..........lol............ Just wish I had more CCR than I got, . . . would make life better maybe. When they get done, . . . Johnny Cash comes on the scene. I'm never in the shop long enough to wear out all the music I got of both of them though. And speakin of age, . . . if I feel especially melancholy, . . . I can always pick up my favorite four stack of Jimmy Swaggart, . . . flip on the 33 1/3 machine, . . . flip em over after they played the "A" side. Yeah, . . . it still works. May God bless, Dwight

Best picture I have available to show my last pair I did. May God bless, Dwight

Once you have stitched the belt pieces together on the edges (my stitches are between 1/8 and 3/16 of an inch from the edge, . . . any other stitching is to me only decorative, . . . would not add significantly to the strength, . . . and depending on how it is done, . . . actually could weaken the product. If you are talking about a double wave like, . . . up and down, . . . all the way around, . . . I would only do that on the top layer, . . . then bond it to the bottom layer, . . . it would make the inside smoother and less prone to abrasion, . . . plus it would be whole lot easier to maneuver a single layer than it is to do a double layer. Just my thoughts, . . . and I am not really thoroughly experienced in it, . . . as most of my customers simply like a plain belt. Of all I've done this year, . . . only one will be for sure in the decorated / stamped category, . . . and no one asked for the decorative stitches. But I did do one last year, . . . it was all purple flowers, . . . but then again, . . . THAT was different. May God bless, Dwight

When you look (as in dissect) at a piece of leather, . . . you go from the outside or the hair side, . . . to the inside or the flesh side. If you sliced it off in say in 1/100th of an inch slices, . . . the strongest slice would be the very outside piece, . . . where the hair grew on the animal. The weakest piece would be the slice that was inside, . . . closest to the animal. Each individual slice would get progressively weaker as you move in toward the flesh side of the leather. By lining a belt in such a manner as having two 2mm pieces, . . . bonded together at the flesh sides, . . . you create a NEW leather item that has equal strength in the face and in the lining as well. Together, the two faces make a product that has a much greater resistance to bending, twisting, curling, . . . etc. THAT makes for a better belt, especially for soldiers, policemen, firemen, etc. who have to carry heavy loads on their belts. The best analogy would be a piece of plywood that had Oak on the top and bottom layers, . . . and pine for all the inside layers. AND, . . . I might add, . . . a layered belt will hold up to a lot more rough handling, abuse, etc, . . . simply because it is a tougher product. May God bless, Dwight

Leather. Specifically, . . . veggie tan is what I prefer, . . . bonded with contact cement, . . . sewn on both edges. May God bless, Dwight

By all means my friend, . . . it is said that the most sincere form of flattery is copying one's work. It is made in 6 pieces: Back 2 straps Stiffener (across the top of the front) Leading edge Body / trailing edge Holler if you run into problems, . . . May God bless, Dwight

Dunluce, . . . it's two layers of veggie tan leather, . . . about .100 thickness each, . . . turns out a really nice belt, . . . not too thick, . . . but really sturdy. Most of my customers are into 1911's and the like, . . . add a pair of mags on the other side, . . . cell phone, . . . and you NEED a strong belt. The one I am currently wearing is in the 10 year old category, . . . comfortable like old shoes, . . . but still carries my "equipment" with no problems. Nahh, . . . at 71, I quit arm wrestling long ago, . . . last one armed bandit I messed with was up on the second floor of one of the places run by the Navy back in Saigon in '66............. Arms ain't quite like Popeye, . . . but the left hand and the right forearm are both a bit on the "sore" side today. Glad I've only got a meeting at 1 and one 1911 holster on the agenda today, . . . and the holster may be put off till tomorrow. If you're down near the Gold Coast, . . . walk out on the beach and wave to the ocean for me. It was the only beach I was ever on that I really, really liked. May God bless, Dwight

Had not had a belt order in a while, . . . one came in for a Christmas present, . . . so I put it off. Next thing you know, . . . guy wants two CCW belts, . . . then another guy wants a CCW belt, . . . then the first guy adds another CCW belt. Today I took the glued up blanks, . . . punched the holes, . . . did the ends, . . . sanded the edges, . . . and sewed em all 5. Something in the neighborhood of 3100 to 3300 stitches, . . . on my Tippmann Boss. I'm tired. May God bless, Dwight

That's it............... May God bless, Dwight

Thanks, Red Bear, . . . I thought I knew every product on the shelves at my local Tandy, . . . I most surely missed this one. I won't next time, . . . May God bless, Dwight

And what is this rejuvenator called??? May God bless, Dwight

Almost all my leather work has always been holsters, belts, knife sheaths, and hand bags. And most of the time, . . . Resolene has been my "go to" finish, . . . and has worked well for those applications, . . . Zero complaints here. BUT, . . . increasingly more and more (and I'm not complaining) I'm being asked to create something new and different, . . . and it needs to be more flexible, bendable, softer, etc. What dying technique / finish technique will do this: 1) fully protect it from dye rub off, . . . 2) allow the leather to flex as though it were untouched veggie tan, . . . 3) not be a 3 or 4 or 5 step process, . . . need to keep it simple for a simple minded old codger. Thanks, may God bless, Dwight

Take it from one who does it, . . . it's a whole lot easier to do oval holes. May God bless, Dwight

If I was doing your project, . . . I think I would start out with a vest, . . . one that would closely emulate that portion of the jacket. I bought some leather from Tandy a few years ago, . . . it was called "milled vegetable tanned" and was a really soft leather, . . . and I think it was like 6/7 oz, . . . which would work quite well I would think for your purposes. AND, . . . when you get it done, . . . please put a bunch of pics up, . . . sounds like something I too might be interested in doing, . . . "some day". May God bless, Dwight

Wearing the Cactus or any other similar design at what is called 4 o'clock, . . . you will never know it is there. I've got mine on, . . . look at the pictures. It is also tucked inside the shirt, . . . so I can go to the door and no one ever has a clue. The one pic shows a red arrow, . . . indicating the front strap holding the holster to my belt. Just a bit of info from the guy who not only makes holsters, . . . but has worn them for upwards of 50 years, . . . on and off. A shoulder holster and a full size 1911 do not go together much of any real way, . . . and the Galco you mentioned is one of the poorer choices you could make. It is great for a plastic fantastic handgun, . . . a .380 or a .32, . . . or a single stack small 9mm, . . . forget it for anything bigger. Looks great in the movies, . . . but so does 007 knocking the bad guy off the water tower 1/4 mile away with his .32 Browning pistol. Neither one is very practical in the real world. AND Amazon will only soak you about $175 bucks for it. Good thing about it, . . . when you throw it in that bottom drawer in your dresser, . . . it won't eat much and won't have to be walked very often. If you want to carry a 1911 (I've had one on and off since Saigon in 1966), . . . you need first a really good belt, . . . and no fiber, braided, or textile belt will be better than a dual layer leather, . . . 1 1/2 inch, . . . glued and sewn for the project. A roller buckle is good for most people, . . . but not necessary. THEN you need the holster. A pancake is 1st choice for OWB, . . . something similar for the IWB, . . . just different attachments. AND, . . a flat backed holster will be 5 times more comfortable unless you happen to be, . . . (politely said), . . . of the "larger waisted" in size, . . . providing the extra padding. Seriously, . . . don't waste your money on the shoulder holster, . . . if you lived close enough, . . . I'd bring one over to you, . . . let you wear it for a couple days, . . . you would most likely say thank you as you handed it back to me. Edited to add: I also just checked, . . . a Rock Island, full size 1911, . . . 2 ea / 8 rd Wilson mags, . . . in a Galco shoulder holster, . . . the entire rig is 4 pounds 10 ounces. Three pounds of steel hanging under your left arm pit, . . . is the pits. May God bless, Dwight

Actually, . . . the best I've found so far, . . . Tandy sells a product called "bag stiffener" used in hand bags. Makes really good patterns, . . . can be cut "big" and then carefully sanded down to just exactly "the" pattern you want for a certain project. It also cuts fairly easy, . . . but is still really rigid. May God bless, Dwight

If you lay the gun down on a piece of cardboard, . . . outline the gun, . . . add 2 inches in front of it, . . . 2 inches behind it, . . . you'll have plenty enough space there for your "wings" that have the belt slots in them. This is a JLS holster for a 1911, . . . but you can see how the wings are in relationship to the body. As well, . . . you see the back piece. I personally just put a rounded piece up there, . . . sorta like a half a ball shape, . . . JLS prefers to cut his down, . . . they both work and serve the purpose. May God bless, Dwight

Take a look at the front page at www.dwightsgunleather.com , . . . it and others similar to it are THE single most comfortable, . . . all around. Seated, . . . you are more advantageous with a shoulder holster, . . . standing or kneeling, . . . this is the style. And if you look closely, . . . it is totally concealable, . . . yet only one extra movement, . . . you are armed (pulling up the shirt, . . . out of the way). I've worn shoulder holsters, . . . and personally (since I also own a Rock Island like yours) you will probably be like the rest of us, . . . shoulder holsters are fine if you are carrying a single stack plastic fantastic firearm. All steel is better on the waist. IMHO. May God bless, Dwight

No, . . . they should not be the same size, . . . nor even the same shape. For a more comfortable holster, . . . make the back flat, . . . and all the "bag holding the weapon" being the front piece. The back piece should also have a shield to keep the hammer and upper part of the weapon from digging into the side. A security six hammer will especially dig into your shirt / ribs, . . . one of those plastic thingy's don't do it so much. Been there, . . . done that. The SS is also a somewhat heavy weapon for it's size, . . . suggest a thumb break for it, . . . even making the difference much more pronounced. May God bless, Dwight

I've had my boss for several years, . . . follow exactly what the mfg recommends, . . . have no issues. IT IS A BIT TRICKY to get the machine set up at first if for some reason yours is not, . . . but follow their directions and it'll work out. You also want to get a couple of 1/4 X 20 wing nuts, . . . and if you get to where everything you sew is pretty much the same thickness, etc, . . . use them to lock down your tensioners. As for reverse, . . . I just lift up my foot, . . . push the piece back, . . . lower the needle and sew, . . . must do each stitch individually, . . . but it works. May God bless, Dwight